The Battle of Algiers Page #28

Their eyes are motionless; someone is praying. There is an atmosphere

of suspense.

There is also the wife of Mahmoud; her eyes seem blank.

Five paras come out of the house quickly, and pass along the alley

toward the clearing.

The captain signals, and the para begins to lower the contact switch

slowly.

The eyes of all are motionless. The camera is ready. But the explosion

does not occur.

The paratrooper swears; he examines the wires.

CAPTAIN:

Stand back! Ready, Pierre?

Pierre responds by mumbling something, and at the same time his hands

are moving frenziedly around the wires.

141ALI'S HIDING PLACE. INSIDE. MORNING.

Ali la Pointe bends over Petit Omar as if to cover him. Hassiba has

stopped breathing, her eyes wide open; Mahmoud is crying ...

A single image, a second and now:

THE EXPLOSION.

142 RUE DES ABDERAMES. OUTSIDE. MORNING.

The house collapses in a white cloud, as if its foundations had

suddenly been removed.

Mathieu and the other officers move away. Behind them the echo of the

explosion continues to resound, then shouts, orders, and isolated

ju-ju.

Mathieu's face is weary but his expression is relieved. He is smiling.

GENERAL:

And so the tapeworm no longer has a head.

Are you satisfied, Mathieu? In Algiers

everything should be over.

MATHIEU:

Yes, I believe there won't be any more

talk of the NLF for some time.

GENERAL:

Let's hope forever.

Another colonel intervenes:

1ST COLONEL

At heart they are good people. We've had

good relations with them for a hundred and

thirty years ... I don't see why we

shouldn't continue that way.

2ND COLONEL

Yes, but Algiers is not the only city in

Algeria.

MATHIEU:

(smiling)

Bah, for that matter, Algeria isn't the

only country in the world ...

GENERAL:

(smiling)

Why, yes, of course ... But for the

moment, let's be satisfied with Algiers!

In the mountains our work is always

easier.

Gradually the officers move away down the slanting street toward their

jeeps, and their remarks fade away and are lost.

143CASBAH STREETS. DEMONSTRATIONS. OUTSIDE. DAY. DECEMBER 1960.

Like the cries of birds, of thousands of wild birds, the ju-jus invade

and shake the black sky.

JU-JU-JU ...

And below, in the Casbah the white cloaks of the Algerians are like

streams, floods; through the alleys, down the stairways, through the

streets and the squares, they flow toward the European city.

144PRESS HALL. PREFECT'S OFFICE. INSIDE. DAY.

In the press hall, the journalists are taking the telephones by force,

shouting at the top of their voices. An English journalist:

JOURNALIST:

No one knows what could have been the

pretext. The fact is that they seem to be

unleashed without warning ... I telephoned

Lausanne ... yes, Lausanne. I spoke with

an NLF leader in exile. They don't know

anything there.

145ALGIERS STREETS. DEMONSTRATION. OUTSIDE. DAY/NIGHT.

In front, the adolescents, very young boys and girls, their mouths wide

open, their eyes burning, laughing, their arms stretched above them,

raised and lowered to mark the rhythm.

VOICES:

Algerie!

Mu-sul-mane!

Algerie Musulmane!

The paratroopers jump down from the trucks, and rush forward.

The policemen rush forward, soldiers, zouaves, the CRS ...

Deployed in cordons, in a wedge, in turtle-like formations, in order to

divide, to scatter, to hold back ...

But the demonstrators will not move back, or divide. They continue to

press forward, pushing against the troops, face to face.

VOICES:

Free Ben-Bel-la!

Free Ben-Bel-la!

The Europeans are closing their doors, lowering shutters. They too, the

younger ones, the more decisive, are grouping together, trying to

confront the Algerians. They are less numerous, but armed ...

The first revolver shots resound in the streets, from the windows. Some

Algerians fall, but the others continue to advance. They are running

now, scattering.

VOICES:

Ta-hia Et-thou-ar!

[Long live the partisans!]

The jeeps, the trucks, the sirens, the tear-gas bombs, machine gun

fire.

And then the tanks. The turrets move slowly in a semi-circle. The

machine gunner fires the first burst at point-blank.

VOICES:

Ta-hia el-Djez-air!

Ta-hia el-Djez-air!

Meanwhile the sun has set, and shadows of night are visible.

VOICE OF:

ENGLISH:

JOURNALIST:

(off)

Today the situation is tenser. In spite

of pressure from the more intolerant

colonialist group it seems that the

Government has given strict orders not

to use arms except in emergency

situations. But this afternoon there were

attempts to enter the European city by

force:
as a result, the first casualties

... Now calm has returned, although from

the Casbah continue to be heard those

cries ... incoherent, rhythmic,

nightmarish cries ...

And then, from time to time, in the by now dark night, the shrill and

angry ju-jus.

JU-JU-JU ...

146ALGERIAN STREETS. FLAGS. OUTSIDE. DAY.

Those cries continued until the following day.

The following day is sunny; the scene begins again like the day

before. Only that ...

VOICE OF:

ENGLISH:

JOURNALIST:

(off)

This morning for the first time, the

people appeared with their flags -- green

and white with half moon and star.

Thousands of flags. They must have sewn

them overnight. Flags so to speak. Many

are strips of sheets, shirts, ribbons,

rags ... but anyway they are flags.

Thousands of flags. All are carrying flags, tied to poles or sticks, or

waving in their hands like handkerchiefs. Waving in the sullen faces of

the paratroopers, on the black helmets of the soldiers.

SPEAKER:

"Another two years had to pass and

infinite losses on both sides; and then

July 2, 1962 independence was obtained --

the Algerian Nation was born."

VOICES:

Ta-hia el-Djez-air!

Ta-hia el-Djez-air!

Ta-hia el-Djez-air!

THE END:

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